Cooling apparatus.



No. 636,888. Patented Nov. l4, I899. L. BELL.

COOLING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Apr. 7, 1896.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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Patented Nov. 14, I899.

L. BELL.

COOLING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Apr. 7, 1898.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

No Model.)

WZZIMJJeJ/ UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

LOUIS BELL, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS,TO THE BELL HOUSE COOLING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COOLlNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,888, dated November14, 1899. Application filed April '7, 1898- Serial No. 676 ,724. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS BELL, a citizen of the United States, residingat Newton Centre, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling Apparatus,ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein- IO Figure 1 is a vertical transversesection .of my cooling apparatus; Fig. 2, a plan view thereof with thecover removed; Fig. 3, a section below the coolingduct, showing themethod of operating the chain-pump. Fig.

4 is a detail view of the lower tank showing the float and meansconnecting it with the valves 1, 2, and 3, to be hereinafter described.Fig. 5 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, showing in section one ofthe ducts, the mantle thereon, and its securing means. Fig. 6

shows a modification in which the inclosing case is oblong instead ofround in cross-sec tion.

My invention consists in certain improve- 2 5 ments in cooling apparatusheretofore devised by me wherein a volume of air transmitted through acooling duct or passage having a wall composed of a film of coppersuitably supported mechanically is cooled by the evaporation of watercontained in a moistened mantle of textile material placed on theopposite side of the said thin wall of copper. I have used with successa film of fourthousandths (.004) of an inch in thickness, 5 and whilenotintending to limit myself to this particular thickness of film Idesire to be understood to mean by the term filmas used in thisspecification a conducting-wall thinner than the sheet-metal wallsheretofore used in this art.

My present invention relates principally to the means employed forelevating the water at suitable intervals of time from the lowerdrip-tank tothe upper supply-tank, whence it is delivered to theabsorbent mantle on the outside of aninclined cooling-duct, so that thewater when delivered at the top of the incline may work down by gravityover the mantle.

My invention also comprises a modified form of the spiral air-ductwherein the duct instead of being continuously curved is made instraight sections connected by curved end sections, which are allinclined, so as to form a continuous descending duct for the air to be 55 cooled, and which also serves to form a parallel coaxial passagewherein the evaporatingblast of air is transmitted.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents a cylindricalinclosing casing comprising a layer a, of wood, felt, or similarnon-conducting material, a layer 1), of sheet-iron, and an inner layera, of felt, rubber, or other non-conducting material. In the center ofthis casing is a hollow central shaft B, serving as a newel-post, aroundwhich extends a spiral air-duct O, rectangular in cross-section andhaving its upper surface composed of a film of copper D, supported andmaintained in shape by its connection at the edges to the newel-post onone side and the casing on the other, as is shown by the detaileddrawing, Fig. 5. On the upper side of this copper film is a mantle E, ofunsized fine-meshed netting of suitable fibrous material, held in placeby a retaining strip or rod F.

The inclosing casing A, with its containing spiral cooling-duct, is madein sections, which telescope one within the other. Thus at a point xmidway of the length of the casing there is a telescopic joint in thecasing itself and also in the hollow shaft or newel-post B, while thespiral duct would in like manner have a telescopic joint, and the twoparts can be fitted one with the other by a slight turning of the upperhalf of the casing after it is placed in position on the lower half. Theedges of the upper part of the tube should lap on the outside of theedges of the lower 0 part, so as to make a tight joint, both for thedescending water on the outside and the ascending air-current on theinside of the duct.

In the upper part of the casing, above the cooling-duct, is -asupply-tank G, provided with an ordinary float and stop-cock, asindicated in Fig. 2, controlled thereby, which will admit Water from thesupply-pipe H at a predetermined low level of the water in the tank tosupply the amount evaporated by't-he air- :00 blast. In the lower partof the casing and below the spiral duct is a drip-tank J, which receivesthe unevaporated water from the lower extremity of the incline.

K is a blower operated by an electric motor L, Fig. 3, or any othersuitable power, which, as also appears in Fig. 3, delivers the air froma funnel-shaped extension M, which passes partly into the evaporatingduct or passage and partly into the cooling duct or passage, whence itproceeds into the upper part of the casing, and is thence withdrawn bythe exit-pipes N and N, the former taking the saturated air of theevaporatingblast and the latter the cooled air of the cooling-duct anddelivering the same to a dwelling-house or other apartment which it isdesired to cool.

Within the hollow shaft B is a pumping device consisting of abucket-chain comprising a link belt 0, carrying buckets P at intervalsand mounted on upper and lower sprocket-wheels S and S. 011 the shaft ofthe sprocket-wheel S isagear-wheelR,which engages with a pinion 10 onthe shaft of a small fan-wheel V. The air for this fanwheel is deliveredby a pipe Q, forming a branch from the main delivery-pipe U andseparated therefrom by a damper 3. In the tank J is a box-float T, heldin place by parallel links 15, so that it may rise and fall with thelevel of the water in the tank. This float operates three dampers 1, 2,and 3, being adapted to open 1 and 3 and to close 2 when in its highestposition, and, conversely, to close 1 and 3 and open 2 when in itslowest position. \Vhen damper 2 is closed or partly closed and damper 3is open, the main airblast in pipe U is diverted wholly or partlythrough pipe Q to the fan-wheel V and passes thence either by a specialpipe or by the airspace in the lower part of the casing to the opendamper 1 into the funnel-shaped extension M and thence into the coolingand evaporating-ducts, as before described.

In operation the water from supply-tank G, which, it will be remembered,cannot fall below a certain level Without having fresh water deliveredthereto from pipe H, passes to a pipe IV, Fig. 2, provided with a numberof drip-nozzles 11, from which the water falls onto the mantle E andflows downward along the same by gravity, while at the same time theair-blast in the evaporating-duct passes upward over the moistenedmantle and by evaporation of a portion of the moisture therein producesa cooling effect, which is transmitted through the thin film wall of thecooling-duct to the air contained therein, the latter air-current beingdelivered, in the manner already described, to an apartment to becooled. The cooling effect is also taken up to a certain extent by themoisture of the mantle, and in order that this may not be lost it isnecessary that the unevaporated water should be collected and returnedto the supply-tank. This excess of water in the mantle falls into thedrip-tank J, and when a definite amount has been collected the float Trises to a point where it operates the dampers, as already described,and diverts sufficient air to the fan-wheel, which operates thechainpump, as described, to elevate the water from the drip-tank J tothe supply-tank G. When the level of water in the former tank issufiiciently low, the float acts again to restore the dampers to theirnormal condition and the apparatus continues to operate as described.The float in tank G admits just enough water to make up for thatevaporated.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modified form of the apparatus which may beused to advantage in certain situations. In this form the inclinedcooling-duct is composed of parallel straight lengths Xand Y, connectedbycurved end lengths Z, which may be square-cornered, if desired,instead of round, into a continuous passage, forming what may bedescribed as a flattened spiral, and being arranged and operating in allrespects like the circular form shown in the remaining figures of thedrawings. In this form the hollow shaft B will be elliptical instead ofcircular in crosssection and will admit of a chain-pump being employed,just as in the form previously described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a suitable inclosure,of parallel cooling andevaporating ducts therein, separated by a mantle-covered metal film,means for supplying water to the said mantle, a tank for receiving theexcess of unevaporated water and a bucket-chain for returning theunevaporated water from the said tank to the mantle, so that it may bepassed repeatedly over the same.

2. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with a suitable inclosure, ofparallel cooling and evaporating ducts therein, separated by amantlecovered metal film, means for supplying water to the said mantle,a hollow shaft within the inclosure, a tank for receiving the excess ofwater from the mantle and means for restoring the water from said tankto the mantle through the hollow shaft aforesaid.

3. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with a suitable inclosure ofparallel spiral cooling and evaporating ducts, surrounding a centralhollow shaft, a separating-Wall between the said ducts, composed of amantlecovered film, means for supplying water to I the said mantle atthe top of the incline, a tank for receiving the unevaporated water fromthe bottom of the incline and a bucketchain contained in the said hollowshaft for elevating the water from the said tank to the top of theincline.

4. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with parallel inclinedcooling and evaporating ducts, separated by a metallic film,of means forsupplying water to the said mantle at the top of the incline, a tank forreceiving the unevaporated water at the bottom of the incline and abucket-chain for elevating the water ceases 9;

from the said tank to a point at the top of the incline.

5. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with parallel cooling andevaporating ducts, separated by a mantle-covered conductingfilm, meansfor delivering the water to the said mantle, a tank for collecting theunevaporated water and an air-driven pumping device for delivering thewater from the said tank to the mantle.

6. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with parallel cooling andevaporating ducts, separated by a mantle-covered conductingfilm, ofmeans for delivering water to the said mantle, a tank for collecting theunevaporated water, a pumping device for delivering the water from thesaid tank and applying it to the mantle, a blower for delivering air tothe said ducts and an air-motor placed in the aircurrent from saidblower, so as to be operated thereby and connected to the said pumpingdevice for driving the same.

7. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with suitable cooling andevaporating ducts, of a blower for delivering air to the same, a pumpingdevice for delivering water to a mantle on the separating-film betweensaid ducts, and an air-motor operated by the current from said blowerand connected to the said pumping device for driving the same.

8. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with suitable cooling andevaporating ducts, separated by a mantle-covered wall, of means forsupplying water to the said mantle, a tank for collecting theunevaporated water, a pumping device for delivering the water from saidtank to the said mantle, an airmotor for driving the same and a float inthe tank controlling the said motor.

9. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with suitable evaporating andcooling ducts, separated by a mantle-covered wall, means for supplyingwater to the said mantle, a pumping device for restoring theunevaporated water to the mantle, an air-motor for operating the sameand a branch air-pipe leading from the main air-delivery pipe to thesaid motor.

10. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with suitable evaporatingand cooling ducts, separated by a mantle-covered wall, of means forsupplying water to the said mantle, a pumping device for restoringunevaporated water to the mantle, a tank in which the said unevaporatedwater is collected and a float in said tank controlling a damper betweenthe main air-delivery pipe and abranch air-pipe leading to an air-motorconnected to the said pumping device for driving the same.

11. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with a spiral inclinedcooling-duct, separated from a parallel evaporating-duct by amantle-covered wall, i means for supplying water to the said mantle atthe top of the incline, a tank for collecting the unevaporated waterfrom the bottom of the incline,a bucketchain for restoring the saidunevaporated water to the mantle, an air-motor geared to the said chainfor driving it and controlled automatically by the level of the water inthe said tank.

12. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with a suitable casing of acooling-duct therein, made in the form of a flattened spiral withinclined straight lengths connected by curved end lengths and havingaconduct ing-film separating it from a parallel evaporating-duct formedby the successive turns of the cooling-duct,an absorbent mantle uponsaid separatingfilm, means for applying moisture to the said mantle, andmeans for creating an air-currentin each of the parallel ductsaforesaid.

13. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with parallel cooling andevaporating ducts, separated by a heat-conducting film, of a mantle onsaid film and means for directing a flow of water on said mantle and aflow of air in said cooling-duct in opposite directions.

14. In a cooling apparatus, a sinuous cooling-duct, separated by ametallic film from an evaporating-duct and made in detachable sectionsjoined end to end.

15. In a coolingapparatus, a sinuous cooling-duct having a wall formedof a conducting-film, and made in detachable sections joined end to endand an inclosing casing forming a space divided by said cooling-ductinto a parallel evaporating-duct and formed also in detachable sections.

16. In a cooling apparatus, the combination with a spiral cooling-ducthaving a wall formed of a conducting-film made in detachable sectionsjoined end to end, of a cylindrical casing therefor, dividedhorizontally into sections similarly detachable.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, before two subscribingwitnesses, this 5th day of April, 1898.

LOUIS BELL.

Witnesses:

WILLARD S. PEEL, EUGENE GUELPA.

